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RG3 ran an option on first play of walkthrough, then donned brace on surgically repaired right knee

Mike Shanahan reiterated that quarterback won't play in preseason

RICHMOND, Va. — Robert Griffin III tempted fate Thursday, but coach Mike Shanahan was able to laugh it off as a harmless faux pas when the second-year quarterback took his only snap of the morning walk-through without a vital piece of equipment: his protective right knee brace.

It's amazing alarm bells didn't sound across the new, $10-million Washington Redskins training-camp complex given the hyper focus on RG3's rehabilitation of the right knee that was surgically reconstructed in January.

Perhaps overeager to return to practice with his teammates for the first time since the operation, Griffin III took a read-option snap and carried out his play fake on a looping run on the first official day of training camp.

Griffin recognized his mistake, trotted to the sideline and quickly braced up, though he didn't take another snap in the hour-long session. He did return in the afternoon to complete seven of eight passes in an encouraging debut during which he looked fluid, explosive at times and threw with his signature precision.

When asked later about how the face of the franchise could take the field without protection on the knee that's created so much attention, Shanahan made light of a potentially catastrophic mistake.

"You just got him fined for not having his knee brace on. So I'm hoping you're very happy with yourself," Shanahan said in his dead-pan way. "That was somewhat of a joke."

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USA TODAY Sports already revealed its list of 2013's pivotal players in the AFC. New Cardinals QB Carson Palmer kicks off our NFC group. Now with his third team (and fourth offensive system) in four years, Palmer will have to adapt quickly to the style of new Arizona coach Bruce Arians if the team is to have any chance of being competitive in the NFC West, arguably the league's toughest division.
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RB Steven Jackson hasn't appeared in a playoff game since his 2004 rookie season, six years after his new team, Atlanta, reached its lone Super Bowl. The Falcons and their veteran sledgehammer hope to finally find rings with Jackson expected to inject life into a ground game that ranked 29th and averaged 3.7 yards per carry in 2012.
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Cam Newton has been an athletic marvel in his first two NFL seasons, accounting for 62 total TDs. But unlike fellow young guns Robert Griffin III, Colin Kaepernick, Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson, Newton hasn't led the Panthers to the playoffs. Carolina's fortunes will continue to ride on Newton's shoulders (and legs) even as he copes with the departure of offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski.
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No team threw the ball more than the Lions in 2012. However free agent RB Reggie Bush should restore needed balance to the offense and ought to benefit from the double coverage WR Calvin Johnson will continue to demand and/or give Megatron (just 5 TDs last year) more breathing room by forcing defenses to respect his own game-breaking moves.
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Packers LT David Bakhtiari, a fourth-round pick last spring, was thrust into the lineup when Bryan Bulaga went down with a torn ACL in August. Bakhtiari's performance will partially determine if QB Aaron Rodgers is better protected after suffering a league-high 51 sacks in 2012.
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The Saints had a historically bad defense in 2012, surrendering a record 7,042 yards as the team fell to 7-9. New coordinator Rob Ryan (white hat) brings a pressure-based, 3-4 scheme in hopes of changing matters ... though his units in Dallas flopped at key times in recent years.
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Giants DE Jason Pierre-Paul saw his sack total drop by 10 to 6.5 in 2012 -- and that was before undergoing offseason back surgery. A struggling defense, which lost DE Osi Umenyiora to free agency, needs JPP to return to form if New York is to climb back atop the NFC East.
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New coach Chip Kelly and his creative offense were the Eagles' most notable acquisitions this offseason. Kelly's ability to implement his attack is one of the NFL's biggest X-factors heading into the regular season, and he's banking on QB Michael Vick (7) to push the right buttons.
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Versatile DL Justin Smith often goes unheralded even though he may be the key component of the 49ers defense. He missed two of San Francisco's final five games after suffering a triceps injury last year and wasn't the same when he was on the field. Coincidentally, pass rusher Aldon Smith didn't record a sack after his teammate was hurt. Justin Smith remains the glue to the NFC champs' defense.
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QB Josh Freeman has been up and down over his first four seasons with the Buccaneers. He better eliminate the lows in 2013 if he wants to lead Tampa Bay to the playoffs for the first time in his career and earn the contract extension that might keep rookie Mike Glennon, right, from taking his job.
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All eyes will be on QB Robert Griffin III and his surgically repaired right knee this season. The Redskins' fate will almost surely be determined by how well RG3 bounces back from his January surgery.
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"No. He's supposed to do everything with a knee brace on. I'm not sure why he didn't have his knee brace on," Shanahan said.

One thing is certain: It won't happen again.

Shanahan was impressed by RG3's progress while watching the 10 snaps he took.

"He did a good job," the Redskins coach said. "That's our plan initially to put him through some football moves, see how he does.

"We plan on progressing every day like he did today."

And while Griffin said he was on board with Shanahan's plan to shut him down for the entire preseason Wednesday, the coach made it clear there is zero chance of him playing in meaningless games prior to Monday night's Sept. 9 season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles.

"It just doesn't make sense to play him in any preseason games," said Shanahan. "We'll get a chance to see when he's ready for possible team drills, more reps that come with time. ... We're going to try and get him in football shape. ... When that will occur, I can't tell you.

"It surely won't happen for two to three weeks. It does take some time to get back in football shape."

The initial prognosis for RG3's recovery was between seven to nine months. The opener versus the Eagles will mark eight months post-surgery.

"You can't take a chance of coming back too soon," Shanahan says. "If you see his body improve and the confidence in his knee, than you give him more rope. ... When he's ready, we'll practice him at game-type tempo."

One Redskin who won't be back anytime soon is defensive end Adam Carriker, who suffered a season-ending torn quadriceps injury in Week 2 of last season. He underwent surgery Thursday following a recent setback in his rehabilitation.